Like a Bird On The Wire
by HeavyMetalRunner
Summary: Politics are just endlessly useless and drunken Megatron slices through them like he does everything else. Has a slight whiff of Megastar in case you don't like that sort of thing. Mostly G1 AU with a little RiD.


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Normally these meetings were held on a business day, later on at night when most people were done with their work. But this time, for various reasons, the meeting had to be held on what was a universal day off for the majority of the population. Leaders of the two factions and every political party sat in humble chairs on a dais with the rest of the assembly seated all around them from the ground to the high ceiling. The company consisted of war veterans, civilians who remained neutral in the beginning and during the war, and members of political parties new and old. So nearly the whole population was crammed into the enormous auditorium. Trusted officers of the leaders assembled on the lowest level just above the dais.

Although the crowd was murmuring as it always did before these meetings Rodimus could feel tension in the air, due to the obvious absence of Megatron at the center of the room. He himself looked at the chair with no small measure of annoyance and disappointment. Megatron might spend every meeting scowling at the world in general and making scathing remarks—seconded and more often than not overshadowed by Starscream's—but his presence was vital to the peace process.

He noted Starscream's absence with a feeling of trepidation, he knew better than to hope the bot was too busy to attend tonight. Suspicious, he thought, that both of them would be missing.

At that moment, as if his negative thoughts had brought it upon them, the doors to the assembly room banged open and the din on the side of the hall hushed. Megatron stumbled into the hall dragging along a mostly limp Starscream who's head was lolling about. Drunkenly Megatron led them to the dais where the leaders were meant to preside over the talks. He nearly missed the chair entirely but saved himself and plonked into his seat, with no sense of embarrassment Starscream collapsed limp and dazed on to his lap. This caused the crowd to once more erupt in a buzz of conversation, the energy of the room split between amusement and disapproval.

Prime blinked once, twice, sighed and stood up to begin the meeting. "Now that we're all finally all here," he said glancing irritated at Megatron who looked back with a drunken smirk, "we can get started." He wanted to insist that Starscream should be seated with the other Decepticon high command or at least in his own chair but one look at the trashed Starscream and thinking how long the meeting had been postponed already sent that idea right out of his head.

"Are we really going to allow this absolutely disrespectful behavior to go uncontested?" Prowl immediately stood up and asked. Rodimus fought the urge to bury his face in his hands. "Of all people who need to show a little bit of actual moral concern and dedication to this cause Megatron has the most to atone for."

This made Starscream sit up straighter, no longer lounging against Megatron but eyes unfocused nonetheless. "Whats that mean? Megatron is 'ere isn't he?" He managed to get out.

"Drunk off his struts, but here yes." Prowl drawled back.

Starscream opened his pouty lips only to have Megatron's large hand clamp done over them. "What in the pit do you mean by 'me of all people'?" He demanded from Prowl.

This time Ratchet stood and started yelling before Prowl's calm voice could say a world. "You're drunk not dead, you know exactly what he meant!"

"The war was your doing to begin with." Prowl voiced flatly.

"You're troops destroyed Cybertron!" Ironhide stood and shouted.

There was a cacophony of objections from the Decepticons and the civilians. Prime stood up at the same time as Thundercracker. Prime had the right to speak first.

"That's not fair Ironhide. Cybertron was destroyed in a war, meaning both sides were equally responsible."

This was met with hears hears and vehement agreements from the neutrals. Thundercracker waited for them to quiet. "Let's not forget the destruction of Vos which was sanctioned and performed by the Autobots. This was not a battle but an attack considered by some to have been an act of terrorism."

Many fellow winged bots raised their voices in support of this.

Ironhide scowled and stood. "It was a preemptive measure on the strongest military resource the Deceptions had, not some random act of hatred!"

The hall erupted into arguments over this. Prowl, who'd been pinching his nose since Ironhide stood called out for order. "My point is, Megatron was the one spoke openly about his goals to take over as Cybertron's sole leader and his plans to spread his _empire _to the far reaches of the galaxy. He was openly and proudly a tyrant, for him to show up here displaying such obvious disinterest in the cause of peace is yet another example of his contempt for peace, justice, and common decency. He has done nothing to show his willingness to contribute to the new world we intend to build."

"How dare you!" Megatron snarled.

"Ignorant little rust head!" Starscream screeched.

"How can you possibly deny the truth of what Prowl is saying?" Traction, the representative of a neutral colony spoke up.

"Well, I've done my part haven't I?" Megatron slurred loudly. Prime rolled his eyes at his drunken ex-enemy. "I started the revolution that stopped our oppression didn't I?"  
"You started a war that lasted millions of years and killed millions of bots!" Ratchet bit out through clenched mouthpieces.

"You can't possibly expect us to think of you as some kind of hero after all you've done?" Mirage said incredulously.

"Oh no!" Starscream almost fell off Megatron in his exuberance. "Because we're all so simple minded as to not be able to see the nuances, all there is is black and white so of course we nasty Decepticons are all evil and that's the end of it."

"You really don't have any room to talk Screamer!" Rodimus cried. "You are an evil spawn of Unicron and always will be." He could feel Ultra Magnus's disapproving look from here. But seriously, _Starscream _trying to plead misunderstood?

"Starscream's lack of morals and any iota of decency aside," Megatron said, "this is about me. And I am not the evil tyrant you make me out to be. Thank-you very much. What I did I did for all of us. I did it for freedom! And you paint me as some sort of monster. You: the very same rich privileged class that kept the gladiatorial pits going with their patronage."

"Oh please, like citizens weren't already pressuring the senate to reform." Smokescreen called without standing.

"We didn't need to bring violence into it." Another Autobot added.

"That's just your excuse. You started the war because you wanted power!" A civilian called out.

Megatron had enough and stood up. Starscream tumbled to the floor and didn't get up.

"So ungrateful. You're all so ungrateful! If I hadn't started my revolution right now you'd all be those little drudgery miseries you were back then. Dragging yourself along completing some thankless task you had no choice but to do. Still being separated into categories at birth like some mindless manufactured little drones."

"Miserable little slag rumples." Starscream cut in under Megatron's rant, having managed to roll unto his back.

"You and your little protests and your little appeals. And that was only the minority. The rest of you cowards shushing each other when anyone so much as wondered aloud if the system was a touch unfair. _Is it right __what the senate does__?_" Megatron mocked in a pathetic voice. "You and all your compliance and your false martyrdom. '_I'll endure it for the peac_e'. Because of course anything, anything is better than war. Oh yes millions of you rich little privileged little piles of recycled vomit would come and pay to see me lob the head off some ugly rust heap but I start a revolution that leads to war and kill the ones who oppressed us and suddenly I'm a monster! Disgusting. You sad little angry self-righteous little Prime-aft kissing matrix-worshiping little do-gooders. The Pit with all of you then! I don't need your respect. Your acceptance. I don't want it! I'm the _only_ one! Me! The only one who stood up for us against the corrupt system. And now? You use me as your scapegoat. Well fine, be that way. I'll let you get on with it, arguing with each other because you think you can do right by everybody, except for me though, right? 'Cause it's all my fault to begin with right? You know—fine! I'll leave you to it. Leave you to bickering for the rest of your useless existences."

"Let you die!" Starscream howled as he rolled on the floor.

"And let you die." Megatron repeated with finality. With that Megatron staggered over to Starscream and pulled him off the floor. He slumped out of the room, dragging the seeker along by the arm, unable to see the sea of gaping faces staring at him.

Right before the duo exited Tarn stood up from his place in the shadows and began clapping. Soon most of the Deceptions and even a few civilians were standing and applauding Megatron with much exuberance. Megatron stopped and turned to them. Basking in their praise he raised his fist at them. There was a satisfied smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes someone might have thought of as love or appreciation if they didn't know any better.

At this point the blue arm he was gripping hard enough to crush pulled him down unto the floor as its owner passed into oblivion. As soon as his body was prone his processor shut down and he was out. The clapping faltered and died out but Tarn glared at any Decepticon who dared snicker at their lord's state.

Thundercracker descended to the dais sheepishly. He gave Rodimus an apologetic and embarrassed smile. "Sorry, that...has never happened before."  
"I find that hard to believe," Romulus mumbled. "Isn't Soundwave the third in command?"

"Do you really think we want that uncharismatic bore speaking for us?"

Rodimus tweaked his eyebrow. "Ah." He glanced at the indisposed leader of the Decepticons, "I feel your pain."

Thundercracker smiled as one who has suffered long in silence, "no you have no idea."


End file.
